Wash your car at the car wash, or with
biodegradable soap. Don't keep the hose running between rinses

Dispose
of oils, gasoline, paints and batteries at the local recycling center.

Santa
Monica City Recycling Center 2500 Michigan Ave.

1
gallon of paint or motor oil can pollute 250,000 gallons of water

1
gallon of gasoline can pollute 750,000 gallons of water

Collect
roof run off and rainwater in storage tanks to use for summer irrigation and
on-site fire protection.

Collection
systems can be really simple, like a covered trash can (keep
those
mosquitoes out!) to more complex cisterns.

Compost
manures and corralled animal wastes.

RCDSMM
manual available with ideas.

Cover
trash cans so animals can t spread trash all over and into the creek.

Irrigate
your landscape thoughtfully. Watch those automatic systems that create runoff,
spray at mid day, or come on during the rain!

Limit
use of herbicides, pesticides, and fertilizers that can runoff your landscape
and into the creek. They are usually not target specific. Be sure to read
directions carefully and pay attention to dilutions.

Conserve
water. 85% of the water you use has traveled over 300 miles to get here!

Graywater
Systems can help reduce the amount of water handled by the septic system, but
can also pose health risks unless they drain into the ground. No direct
outflows!

Think
before you Pour!

In
Topanga, what goes down the drain or down the road/hill
eventually turns up in the creek and then at Topanga Beach!

Care
and Feeding of Your Septic System

Topanga
Watershed Committee Meeting, April 1999

Limit
amount of water entering the system simultaneously! Don t overload!

Fix
leaks. A leaky toilet can add 2000 gallons to your system in a day!

Keep
all toxic chemicals out of the system. They destroy the bacteria that keep a
system working and can leach into the environment causing further damage.

Limit
amount of non-organic material entering the system. If you didn t eat
it, then think twice before putting it into the system!

Use
non-toxic soaps and cleaners. Forget about bleach unless very dilute! It
kills all the friendly bacteria that make your system work.

Compost
your veggie waste instead of grinding in garbage disposal. Meat, cheese and
all fat leftovers should go to the trash.

Pour
cooking oils and grease into old cans for proper disposal in the trash.

Keep
hair and disposable diapers out of the system!

Install
a low flow toilet.

Use
toilet paper sparingly. Non-bleached are most friendly.

Septic
enzymes are not a good idea. They stimulate a short burst of bacterial
activity, cause a bloom and dieback of the critters, which then creates more
suspended solids that go into your drainfield and clog up the works. Your gut
provides sufficient bacteria to keep your system working.

Add
a low maintenance filter to the outlet of the tank. For several hundred
dollars you can extend the life of your drainfield for a long time.

Pump
out the tank every 6-8 years. Pump when the scum and sludge layers get too
thick. Research has shown that it takes 3-5 years for a happy colony of methane
decomposing bacteria to get established, and they are the most efficient
decomposers.

Be
sure that nothing from the septic system daylights or flows
directly out on the ground. If it does, you are polluting and need to fix it
quick!